The Littlest Things
by SonnyBob
Summary: A series of one-shots about how the little things in life affected various Harry Potter characters and made them the people we all know and love.
1. Ron Weasley

**Hello to everyone who reads this.  
I'd like to ask you to please be brutal about reviewing this story - it's the first thing I've written in ages and I'm not sure whether it's alright or not.  
Also a little disclaimer: I do not claim to own anything in the Harry Potter universe. I do not claim to know Ron Weasley, so all of his feelings in this story are entirely of my own creation. But I still don't own anything HP related. That honour belongs to the wonderful Ms Rowling.**

It's always the littlest things that ruin your plans, isn't it? When I started Hogwarts, I just wanted to be me, Ron Weasley. Not Fred and George's little brother (I hope he's as funny as they are), or Percy's kid brother (I hope he's not as smart and boring as he is), or Charlie's brother (I hope he can play Quidditch like Charlie) or Just Another Weasley (ginger, freckles, poor… well who cares?). Things never work out how you want, though.

The day that I sat aboard the Hogwarts Express for the first time, I didn't know I was going to end up sitting with Harry Potter, the famous Harry Potter. When I found out who he was, I was so shocked. He seemed so normal, not like the most famous person in the world at all. And he was kind to me. He didn't know anything about my family and so he couldn't judge me. He liked me just for being myself. But of course, everyone else just saw me as his sidekick. I was the one they came to when they wanted to know his timetable so that they could wait outside a classroom for a glimpse of the famous Boy Who Lived. I was the one they asked out to Hogsmeade just so they could ask about the Triwizard champion. Have you any idea how it feels to be used and betrayed like that? Can you really blame me for being so difficult at times? It's not that I wasn't Harry's friend, I was and I always will be. But sometimes it was just too much to bear, knowing that you're only recognised because of who your friends are. Sometimes it was too hard to be Just Another Weasley, fading into the background, while my best friend got all the attention and glory. At times, I was so angry I would have done anything for a share of the spotlight, but other times, I was so scared that I would be thrust into the spotlight that I shied away from it and tried to distance myself from Harry.

When we had our first flying lesson, I thought 'Here's something I might be really good at. I hope I am.' Oh sure, I was the youngest brother of the legendary Charlie Weasley, and the excellent Beaters, Fred and George. Flying was their thing. But I just wanted to be good at it because it looked like so much fun. But of course Harry and Draco Malfoy, they were the two who got all the attention during that class. It's not that I want attention, I'd just like to be acknowledged sometimes or even just noticed. I was looking forward so much to flying, and that just made me so annoyed and upset that for a wile I thought I never wanted to fly again. I tried my hardest to do something right, not even to be best at it, but just to be able to do _something_, and Harry got offered the position of Gryffindor Seeker, youngest House player in a century while I got ignored. I was so happy for him, but it was hard sometimes to keep the smile in place.

In second year, Ginny was taken into the Chamber of Secrets. I went with Harry to help find her and rescue her because she's my sister and that's what brothers do, they protect their sisters and help them out. I was going to have my memory wiped when the wand backfired on Lockhart, thank God. And I really wanted to go with Harry to save her, I did, but I was too scared. I was left to shift rocks after the wall collapsed while Harry ran off alone to rescue _my_ sister. In the end, he got all the glory. It was just another thing that I couldn't do right.

And to find out that my pet rat was actually a man on the run! That thing slept in my bed for years! Disgusting, isn't it? But still. I was the one who was dragged down that tunnel by the known the mass-murderer, Sirius Black. I was the one who was knocked out cold. And because I was out cold, I never got to use the Time Turner to go back in time and save Sirius, who was really innocent. It doesn't seem very fair, really. Just another something I couldn't do to prove my friendship to Harry. Another adventure that I missed out on. Some days it feels like I have the worst luck in the world.

Soon enough we were in our fourth year at Hogwarts, and on top of all the fame that he already had, Harry's name was pulled out of the Goblet of Fire and he got to take part in the Tournament. Fred and George tried to get across the age line and couldn't do it, but it looked as if somehow Harry had managed and hadn't even bothered to let me in on it. I was so annoyed that he hadn't trusted me, I thought we were best friends. I couldn't look at him for months because I was so disgusted and upset. But when the First Task was complete and I realised someone actually had it in for Harry, I was scared for him and knew that I had to do the right thing and stand by him again. He was my friend, no matter what happened, and he needed me to believe in him. When he pulled me from the lake during the Second Task, I was so pleased for him, and I was secretly pleased that I was actually getting a part in all the fun. So after the Tournament was over and Harry had gotten his winnings, I was so torn that he gave the money to Fred and George to start up their own joke shop. They couldn't have done it by themselves, no matter how resourceful they are. I know he's my best friend, and I should be pleased that he's so generous and kind to my family, but I felt as if I was letting them down by not being able to help out myself.

Fifth year came, and we sat our OWLs. I knew Hermione would do better than me, but I never thought that Harry would as well. That annoyed me a little, as if I was the dumbest of the three of us, as if I wasn't clever enough or good enough. It was the same in Dumbledore's Army. Harry was voted the leader, Hermione mastered all the spells and jinxes the quickest. Even Ginny was better than I was. And of course, Harry had the vision of the snake that saved my dad's life. I couldn't even look out for my own family! It was just so depressing to realise that I would never be as good as my friends. But we still had adventures and fun around Hogsmeade and the castle. We still stuck together to do whatever we could to protect each other from the Dark Wizards and Death Eaters. We ended up in the Department of Mysteries because You-Know-Who wanted Harry there. Harry thought Sirius was there and we went tearing off to rescue him with some other DA members. I wanted to do something because Harry was my friend, and he loved Sirius, so we couldn't just leave him there at the mercy of the Death Eaters. Only he wasn't there. I got attacked by some crazy brains while we were trying to escape, and I fought against You-Know-Who's supporters as well, but somehow I was overlooked yet again. Even Neville was recognised that time.

My first Quidditch match, during sixth year, I was finally recognised. But for all the wrong reasons. I was the Keeper who couldn't Keep. I was useless. It was so horrible, knowing that all these people are watching, just waiting for you to make a mistake so that they can hate you, or waiting for you to do better than anyone who has gone before you so they can love you. It's horrible. I never want to have to feel that again. So I tried harder each game after that until I knew that I was the right choice for the Gryffindor team, until I was happy with myself. And I thought Lavender Brown had cared about me, but of course, I was wrong. She only wanted a Quidditch-playing boyfriend and Harry was considered "out of her league". Once again, I was the second-best, the consolidation prize.

We went Horcrux hunting instead of going back for a seventh year at Hogwarts. And I couldn't cope with it. I tried so hard, but I was just wasn't used to being away from friends and family, at having to cope on my own, being cut off from the world. I wasn't strong enough to handle it. Hermione and Harry could, and every time I looked at them I just felt so ashamed. Harry, an orphan raised by the most horrible Muggles that you can imagine, was able to put everything out of his mind except the task of finding the Horcruxes. Hermione Granger was able to put her entire life behind her and cut herself off from everyone, not just wizards but her Muggle friends and family as well. I've never known two people with more courage. I, on the other hand, was so scared that I ran away and left my two best friends alone to fight for themselves. Some friend I was.

And then fighting You-Know-Who at the Battle of Hogwarts. I didn't want to. I was so scared. All I wanted to do was run as far away as I could. But I knew that if I didn't stand up to him, he would destroy my family and kill all my friends. I had to do something, I had to fight for everyone's sakes. It didn't make a difference. Lupin and Tonks still died. I wasn't able to save my brother Fred. No matter how hard I tried, I failed in the end.

I never wanted to be famous, I just wanted to be myself. I never really gave much thought to my future, but I assumed I would always just find something I was good at and do that for a living, maybe marry a girl that I liked, have a few children...  
I never wanted anything fancy. I was always so scared of being poor when I was an adult. I saw how hard things were for my mum and dad. They tried to smile through it all, God knows they did. My mother did everything she possibly could to make sure we never did without. Yeah, some of our stuff might have been second-hand or passed down through the family, but she still cared enough to provide it for us. She never let us down. Us Weasleys don't have much, but we will always have Mum. And we always have our friends. Good friends, people like Harry and Hermione.

Hermione Granger. When I first met her, I really wanted to hate her. I tried, believe me, I tried to hate her. She was always right, she knew everything, she wouldn't have any fun or play any pranks, she ignored me to talk to Harry, and the list goes on and on. All good reasons to hate a person. But I just couldn't. Sure, I laughed along with everyone else when they were making fun of her for always being right, and yeah, I called her a know-it-all at least three times a week. I still call her a know-it-all and we aren't even at Hogwarts any more. But I just couldn't hate her. There was something about her, something that you just can't hate no matter how annoying and uptight she is.  
And yet somehow we've ended up together. After all the years of teasing and taunting each other, all the tears and fall-outs that we had, we honestly couldn't be happier. When I look back now, I'm not sure I can tell when I stopped trying to hate Hermione and wanted to be her friend, or when I started to care for her as more than a friend. All I know is that she's brilliant.  
She likes that I'm just Ron Weasley, because I'm nothing like any of my brothers, regardless of whether I'm sidekick to Harry Potter or not, no matter if I'm good at things or rubbish at them just so long as I try, even though I am poor. Hermione loves me, as long as I stay true to myself. And that's all that matters.

The littlest things don't have to ruin your plans. They just make it slightly different.  
And a hell of a lot more fun.


	2. Rubeus Hagrid

**Hello again.  
I've decided to make this not just a one-shot, but a series of one-shots looking into the lives of some of the most intriguing characters in the Harry Potter series, so if you have any favourites you'd like me to write about, let me know!  
I'd like to give a big thanks to all the people who reviewed my last chapter, "Ron Weasley", and hopefully I've replied to all signed reviews. Apologies if I haven't. I'd also like to thank 'kitty' for the lovely review. I'm glad you enjoyed the story and that you think I was able to get inside Ron's head. I wasn't sure if I captured his personality or not, so thanks again.  
Disclaimer: I am not JK Rowling and therefore do not own anything in this story, I have just twisted it to suit my own means.**

From the moment he had entered the prison, there was a sense of excitement in the air. The guards knew that he was full of hope, hope that he would be released soon, hope that his friends back home would succeed in clearing his name, and the hope that he would be welcomed with open arms when he arrived back home. The guards would break that hope, they would destroy his happiness, and finally bury his broken shell outside the prison walls with the many others who had died in their care. This was the way it always had been and always would be, it was in their nature.

Leading the whimpering prisoner down a narrow corridor filled with cells, the other inmates shrank back against the wall, many of them shrieking in pain. All except one. He huddled in the corner of his cell, silently watching the grisly procession of guards and new-comer walk past. A jolt registered in the man's stomach when he saw the new inmate. They knew each other very well and had done for years. Wondering what his friend could have done, a silent tear slipped down Sirius Black's cheek as he watched Rubeus Hagrid being led into Hell by the very demons of Hades.

After several days, the fight had gone out of Hagrid, and the light and hope that had shone in his eyes had died. He lay curled in his cell, tears dripping from his eyes into the wild tangle of beard that obscured his lower face. Memories flashed through his head, things he would rather not relive. And no matter how much he tried, he couldn't stop the pictures from spinning around his head. Not even sleep could help him.

_Professor Dippet examined me from the other side of his desk with a cautious, weary expression. "I am most sorry to have to be the one to inform you of this, Rubeus, but I am afraid your father has passed away."_

_The world fell away from under my feet. My father was dead? How could this be possible? He was my father, he had cared for me since my mother left us all those years ago. Only last year, when I got my acceptance letter from Hogwarts, he had cried with happiness. Because I was half-giant, nobody knew whether I would be able to attend Hogwarts or not, and so my father had spent years telling me it didn't matter either way, telling me I would always be loved no matter what. He was my everything._

_Tears were staining my face, tears I didn't even know were there, as my hands gripped the arms of the chair so tightly that my fingers turned numb. "He's dead?" I asked, unable to comprehend the awful truth that I would never see his smiling face welcoming me off the Hogwarts Express again._

_Professor Dippet bowed his head over his folded hands. "Yes. I am so sorry." Pausing, he looked back up at me. "Arrangements are being made for his funeral, I will ask Professor Dumbledore to accompany you there so you can say your final goodbyes."_

_Nodding, I rose from the chair and stumbled blindly back to my dormitory, to bury myself under my blankets and grieve._

He sat up, shrieking. Like so many of the other prisoners, Hagrid was stuck living his worse moments of life over and over again, like a horrific, twisted record stuck on repeat.

* * *

Hagrid sat in his cell, weeping. He could hear them just outside his door. The slow rattling breath, the rotting stench rolling off them in waves, the scabbed eyes under the dark hoods, the cause of his nightmares. The never-ending nightmares.

_"Please, Aragog! I don' want them to think that yeh're to blame fer that girl's death!" I cried._

_The large spider turned it's eight eyes upon me. "I have already told you, Hagrid, that I am not to blame for that tragedy. That is the fault of a creature far more terrifying, more hideous than anything you could imagine."_

_"Then tell me what is behind it," I asked for what felt like the hundredth time. "Tell me, an' I can clear yer name!"_

_The spider glared at me. "I have told you, we do not speak it's name! It is our mortal enemy, we do not mention it, nor do we associate ourselves with it." Aragog took a deep breath and calmed himself. "Please, Hagrid. Please let me escape this castle. I cannot bear to be near this creature."_

_Frustration coloured my tone as I followed the familiar circle of our recent conversations. "But where would yeh go, Aragog? It's not as if yeh can just pack up an' go. We would have ter be careful and make sure nobody knew yeh existed."_

_Realisation dawned. "The Forest. We could hide yeh in the Forbidden Forest! Nobody's allowed in there!"_

_A few days later the plan was set, but before we could get through the front doors, Tom Riddle found us._

"Run, Aragog, run!" he screamed, jerking himself out of the memory. He quietened when he realised there was nothing to fear - the spider was still safely hidden in the Forbidden Forest. Quietly, he stood and started to miserably pace the small cell.

* * *

Weeks, possibly months, had passed since he had first entered this prison. Time ceased to have meaning when you lived in Hell. Wondering yet again what he could possibly do to block out the memories, he thought of his friend, Harry Potter.

_Harry Potter, son of James and Lily Potter, now an orphan._

_I stood in the ruins of the house, with the tiny child in my arms, swaddled in his blankets._

_"Give him to me, Hagrid," Sirius Black demanded, his arms outstretched for his godson._

_"No, Sirius. I've had me orders from Dumbledore. Harry's ter go live with his aunt and uncle."_

_Sagging with defeat, Sirius nodded, gesturing to the massive vehicle beyond the garden gate. "Here, take my bike, I won't need it any more." _

_Thanking him, I clutched Harry tighter to me and headed back down the path towards the bike. My head swam with the thought that Lily and James were killed, murdered by You-Know-Who. And Harry had stopped him from gaining yet more power. A wonderful day for the whole Wizarding world, yet one marred by sadness. I had known James and Lily since they had started Hogwarts and nicer people you couldn't meet. I couldn't help but think of how terrible it all was._

The tears flowed freely down Hagrid's face as he thought of the deaths of James and Lily, and how Harry was now alone. He had no parents, his aunt and uncle couldn't stand the sight of him, Dumbledore had been forced out the school he loved and of course he, Hagrid, was locked up in Azkaban. Harry was alone. Just like Hagrid had been.

* * *

Hagrid's eyes were dead and his face was hollow and etched with pain when Cornelius Fudge arrived at Azkaban.

Fudge spoke to the guard posted outside of Hagrid's corridor. He informed the guard that Hagrid was to be released, that he was innocent and that the true killer had been found, but that he was not to be imprisoned as he was dead.

The guards swept down to Hagrid's cell and opened the door. Hagrid cowered in the corner, crying out "No, no! Don' come in! Please!"

Fudge looked at the dirty, broken half-giant curled on the floor, his face filled with pity. "Come on, Hagrid. I've come to take you home."

They were the happiest words Hagrid had ever heard. Tears of joy fell from his eyes as he thought of Hogwarts and how he was going home, to the place where he belonged. He stood and walked back down the corridor, his head held high, as a free man. He had no desire to linger in the prison, and was anxious to get back to Hogwarts, to see his friends - Harry, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Professor Dumbledore. Dumbledore, the man who had always been there for him, who always knew exactly what to say and do, who helped everyone that he could and tried so hard to make life better for everyone around him. Hagrid knew he could rely on the Headmaster of Hogwarts.

Sirius Black watched silently from the corner of his cell as Hagrid was led past by Fudge and felt glad that Dumbledore had not forgotten Hagrid.

Quickly, the feeling was suppressed before the Dementors turned towards the source of light among their dark domain, and as the hem of Fudge's cloak swept from the prison, a shaggy black dog was sitting in the cell where Sirius Black once sat.


End file.
